Improvement in switch-signals



` l s. IMR'AY. 1 SWITCH-alamy..

No.16.9v,811. Patented Nw. s. :1875.

NlPETEns. Phormumoampnsn.'WASHINGTON. n cli wirr JOHN IMRAY, OF NO. 20 SOUTHAMPTON BUILDINGS, CHANGER-Y LANE,

, ENGLAND.

IMPRovEMENT IN swlrcH-sleNALs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No'. 169,8 l1, dated November 9, 1875; application led April 26, 1875. v

'To all whom it may concern VBe it known that I, JOHN IMRAY, of N o. 20 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the county of Middlesex, England, civil engineer, have invented an improved apparatus for holding and interlocking the levers employed -to work the points and signals of railways; and do hereby ydeclare that the following description, taken in connection with accompanying sheet of drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification of the same, wherein I have set forth the nature and principles of my said improvement, by which 'my invention may be distinguished from others of a similar class, together with such parts as I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent-that is to say:

`or other points are not set suitable for such shift, nor from giving of a signal when the j points or other signals are not set suitable for such signal being given.

My invention relates to apparatus applicable to such a system of point and signal levers, whereby the holding of each lever at either end of its stroke and the interlockingof each lever with others of the system are safely and simply effected by means of slotted rocking shafts. For this purpose I construct apparatus in the manner shown on the accompanying drawings, of which j,

Figure l represents a side'view of one of a series of levers employed for working railway points and signals, with a longitudinal section of a rocking shaft applied to it, according to my invention, for the purpose of holding the .lever at either end of its stroke, and working the interlocking gear. Fig. 2 represents a plan of the rocking shaft; and Figs. 3, 4, and

5 represent transverse sections thereof, re-

spectively, on the lines X X, Y Y, and Z Z of Fig. l.

A is the lever, provided, in the ordinary between these projections and the upper part of the guide, in which the rod works. E is `the rocking shaft, which is hollow, and has a slot on its upper and under sides for the passage through lit of the lever A. It is provided at the ends with trunnions F F, which work in bearings fixed on the framing of the apparatus. At either end of the slot in the rocking shaft parts are laterally recessed, G G and H H', on the upper side, and corresponding parts are recessed on the under side in the opposite direction. There are also formed within the rocking shaft E, on opposite sides of its interior cavity, recesses K and L, into one of which, K, the projection D from the catch-rod engages, when the lever A is in the position shown in Fig. vl, and into the other of which, L, the other projection, D', engages, when the lever is brought over to theV other extreme of its stroke, as indicated by the dotted lines A' in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that when the spring-catch rod C is down the lever A, at either extreme of its stroke, is engaged in one of theside recesses, H H' or G G', and, by means of the projecting lip H or VG of the rocking shaft, Ais prevented from being moved. Fig. 5 shows the lever so held in the recess H H'. Now, on grasping the spring-catch lever B, so as to close it toward A, and thereby to raise its rod C, the projection D, acting in the recess K, partly turns the shaft E on its axis, and there- `by removes the lip H from behind the lever A. The lever can then be pulledl along the slot in E to the position A', Fig. l, the projection D' entering the recess L. 0n letting `go the spring-catch, its rod C being caused to descend by the spring, the projection D', engaged in the recess L, causes the shaft E to turn still farther round, and thus brings the lip G in front of the lever, as shown in Fig. 3. On again grasping the spring-catch the shaft E is turned backward, so as to remove the lip G from before thelever, which can then be moved along the slot to its forward posi- Frron. i

' the same direction.

The movements thus imparted to the shaf't E are utilized for the purpose of working interlocking gear, as I will now describe. And, first, it is to be understood that every lever of the series is provided with a rocking shaft, arranged to Work in the manner described above; also, that each of those rocking shafts has a semi-cylindrical part, M, extending beyond the slotted part, and of such length as may be required f'or the interlock. l ing gear.

In order that the nature and action of this interlocking gear may be more clearlyunderstood, I will assume that there are only three levers to be interlocked; and I refer to Figs. 6,

7, 8, and 9, which show, in transverse section, the positions of the rocking shafts belonging to the three levers in four different conditions of their relative movements. I will suppose that the middle lever, of which M is the rock- 'ing shaft, worksa pair of' points for guiding a train along a main line when the lever is in the front position A, Fig. 1, and for guiding it along a branch when the lever is moved over to the position A', Fig. l. I will also suppose that Ml is the rocking shaft of the lever which lowers the main-line signal, and that M2 is the rocking shaft of the lever which lowers the branch signal. Each of these rocking shafts must, as explained above, be moved in the direction of' the arrow, Fig. 6, before pulling back the lever to which it belongs, and is moved still farther in the direction of the arrow von letting go the spring-catch after the lever has been pulled back.

The point-lever rocking shaft M has a crankplate, m, projecting down from it, with a slot, vwhich engages on a pin or stud fixed on a bar, N, which is mounted in guides, so as to slide horizontally in a direction transverse to the rocking shafts, or parallel to the row of levers. On this bar are Xed two stops, O and P,

vdifferently shaped, the one, t), being formed with a curved side to fit the exterior of' the rocking shaft M1,.and the other, P, having its other side curved to fit the interior of the lshaft M2.

The three levers being all toward the front, as A, Fig. l, the points being set right for the main line, and both signals up at danger,77 the rocking shafts are in the position shown in Fig. 6. In this position the shaft M2, being'stopped by P, cannot be turned, and hencel the lever of the branch signal is locked at danger5 but the shaft M1 is free, and, therefore, the main-line signal can be lowered when its'shaft M1 is turned into the position shown in Fig. 7, so as to be in front of the stop O. In this condition the bar-N cannot be moved, and consequently the shaft M, which works it, and therefore the pointlever, is locked, the branch signal also remaining locked, as before.

The main-line signal being again raised to danger, the condition is as shown in Fig. 6. If', now, the points be shifted, the shaft M is turned as shown in Fig. 8, and the bar N is moved by the crank-plate m, so as to bring the stop O under the lip of the shaft M1, which is thereby obstructed. In this condition the main-line signal is locked at danger;77 but the movement of' the bar N having moved the stop P clear of the lip of the shaft M2, the branch signal can be lowered, and in that case the shaft M2 takes the position shown in Fig. 9, where its lip comes behind the stop P. While it remains so the bar N cannot be moved back, and consequently the point-lever is locked with the points set for the branch line as well as the main signal-lever, which remains locked at danger.7

Although Figs. 7, 8, and 9 illustrate theinterlookin g effected when the several levers have made their full stroke, and the rocking shafts have turned far enough to releasev their levers from the recesses at one end and engage them in the recesses at the other end of' their respective slots, it will be readily understood that the locking is eected also when the rocking shafts make only that part of their stroke which suffices to release their levers, and that the unlocking is not effected till the rocking shafts have made their complete stroke, so as to re-engage their levers.

Thus the preliminary operation of raisin g the catch-rod of any lever eects the locking, and the final operation of' letting the catch-rod de-v scend effects the unlocking.

rIhe bar N may extend any desired length along the row of levers, and have on it such stops, like O and P, as may be required for the purpose of interlocking. Also, there may be several bars, like N, arranged side by side, as

shown with respect to three, N, N1, and N2, l

in-Fig.1'; and where there are many such bars required for the complete interlocking of any system of' levers, the part M of the rocking shafts may be made of such length as is necessary to accommodate them and their respective stops.

Having thus described the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understoodthat I do not claim, generally, the application of the movement of the spring-catch rod to.

the purpose of holding or releasing a lever at either end of its stroke, or of working interlocking gear; but

I claiml. The slotted rocking shaft E, with the lateral recesses G G and H H at each end of' its slot, by the partial rotation of which shaft a point or signal lever is held or released at r v either end of its stroke, substantially as herename to this specification in the presence of in described. two subscribing` Witnesses this 4th day ot' 2. The combination of the rocking shafts E March, 1875. With the sliding bars N, provided with stops O P, for the purpose of reciprocally locking and unlocking point and signal levers, sub- Witnesses: stantially. as herein described. CEAS. D. ABEL,

In testimony whereof I have signed my JNO. P.l M. MILLARD.

JOHN IMRAY. I 

